Mobile robots can play an integral role in the inspection of industrial complexes. Conventionally, in order to inspect the numerous elevated beams, pipes, and other hard-to-reach surfaces of an industrial complex, scaffolding must be built. However, the erection of such scaffolding can be dangerous, time consuming, labor intensive, and expensive. Further, the inspection of hard-to-reach areas of the industrial complex by workers using these scaffolds can be equally dangerous and time consuming. As such, the use of mobile robots can allow for more efficient inspection of particular areas of an industrial complex.
Currently, mobile robots alleviate many of the safety and labor concerns of previous inspection protocols; however they are not without drawbacks. For example, conventional mobile robots are designed to run either using their own power sources (e.g., batteries) or using an external power source (e.g., attached to an external power source via a power cord or tether). Mobile robots that run on their own power tend to have greater mobility in hard-to-reach places (e.g., pipes); however, they can only run for a limited period of time before the battery runs out. Conversely, mobile robots attached to an external power source have an extended period of operation, but may be less mobile due to physical restraints, such as the length of the power cord and the susceptibility of the power cord to get tangled.
In instances in which mobile robots run on their own power, fixed docking stations have been developed such that the mobile robots can return to a fixed docking station to recharge its battery or perform other tasks. However, because these docking stations must remain in a fixed location, they are limited to particular areas where a fixed docking station could be permanently attached. Further, due to the restrictions on the location of the fixed docking stations, mobile robots are likewise limited to inspecting areas near a docking station such that they are able to return to the docking station before the battery power runs out.
The present invention addresses these and other limitations associated with the efficiency of conventional mobile robots and inspection protocols.